Overview The Carolina Renaissance Festival is a 25-acre Renaissance village set inside 325 acres of woods north of Charlotte, open Saturdays and Sundays for eight weekends each fall, where knights on horseback joust three times a day in the Queen's Arena and costumed villagers work the lanes between 16 outdoor stages and more than 140 artisan shops. It opened in 1994 on six acres, and 2026 was its 33rd season. The grounds sit at US 73 and Poplar Tent Road on the Huntersville-Concord line, 16 miles north of Uptown Charlotte, with I-77 and I-85 equally close. On site The lanes are lined with cottages and bungalows built in 16th-century European style. The stages run theater, comedy, music, dance, magic, vaudeville and circus acts, mermaids swim in an aquarium tank, and the Royal Falconer flies hawks and falcons. The Living History household shows needlecraft, cooking and period tools beside a blacksmith and a glassblower. Games run from archery, axe throwing and a tomato toss to a catapult, a flying machine and a rocking horse the festival bills as the world's largest. The kitchens serve meats on sticks, stews in bread bowls, sweet and savory crepes, craft beer and giant roasted turkey legs, with vegetarian and gluten-free options. In 2026 the gates opened 9:30 to 5:30, rain or shine; parking is free, pets are not allowed, cash is preferred and 20 ATMs are on the grounds. Audience Everyone arrives the same way, walking from the parking fields to the village gates along a single entry path, and on the busiest days 16,000 people pass along it in and out. Each joust plays to about 2,500 people in the arena. The festival aims its ten-week media campaign at families in North and South Carolina. Track record From six acres in 1994 the festival grew into the 25-acre park it runs, reinvesting proceeds into new attractions and park improvements. Each season it commits $300,000 in complimentary admission to nonprofits, through tickets for auctions and raffles, school supply and canned food drives, coat drives, and costumed characters sent to charity events. Brand presence Partner space sits on that entry path: signage, a 10-by-10 display or tent for sampling and flyers, or a promotional vehicle. Partners ride in the festival's ten-week campaign across broadcast and streaming radio and TV, print, out-of-home, web and email, and on its printed pieces: 250,000 programs handed out free at the event, 3,000 limited-edition posters and 25,000 rack cards. A Joust in Your Honor gives a partner reserved shaded seats for up to 36 in the Queen's Arena reviewing stand, two seats beside Queen Isabella and a mention from her over the loudspeaker. The festival keeps comp tickets scarce in the market, and partners use its gold vouchers and coupons as prizes, gifts with purchase and lead-capture draws. Festival performers can be booked for a partner's own events.